# BARD Mobile vs The Palace Project

The clearest difference is rating: The Palace Project at 4.6 against BARD Mobile's 3.9. The Palace Project also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (5.5K vs 203). BARD Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (58% vs 27%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

The Palace Project holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Palace Project has 5.5K ratings behind it against 203, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of BARD Mobile's written reviews are positive against 27% of The Palace Project's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

BARD Mobile ships an update every 3 months, The Palace Project fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BARD Mobile | The Palace Project |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (203 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bard-mobile/id705229586/reviews) | **[4.6 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 203 | **5.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **57.6% of reviews** | 27.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#95** |
| Size | 22 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Library Of Congress](https://appshunter.io/developer/380309748) | [The Palace Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574359695) |

## What reviewers say

### BARD Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bard-mobile/id705229586)

Access a vast digital library of audiobooks, electronic braille books, magazines, and music scores. This service is provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled to eligible US residents and citizens abroad who cannot read standard print.

**Highlights:** Tens of thousands of books, Current best sellers and classics, Popular magazines, Music instruction and scores, Audio and electronic braille formats, New selections added daily

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Massive library of audiobooks and magazines
- 👍 User-friendly interface with VoiceOver support
- 🎙️ Human narrators instead of text-to-speech
- 📱 Convenient mobile access to books
- ⚡ Ability to download books offline

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login and authentication failures
- 🐛 Download queue issues and stalled downloads
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 📵 Poor braille display compatibility
- 🔌 Inconsistent VoiceOver and accessibility support

**Reported bugs**

- Login credentials cannot be decrypted error
- Device registration failed when logging in from different locations
- Downloads stuck in queue indefinitely
- App crashes on iOS 26 and recent iOS versions
- VoiceOver focus jumping unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Genre and category filtering for book browsing
- Cross-device synchronization of bookmarks and reading position
- Equalizer and pitch shifter controls
- More playback speed options
- Volume control within the app


### The Palace Project

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-palace-project/id1574359693)

**Currently charting:** #95 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access and enjoy e-books and audiobooks from your local library for free. Discover new titles, borrow them instantly with your library card, and read or listen anywhere. Even without a participating library, enjoy a collection of free books.

**Highlights:** Borrow e-books and audiobooks, Access local library collections, Read or listen to books, Free Palace Bookshelf collection, Requires library card for full access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great selection of books
- 💡 Convenient access to library books
- 👍 Simple and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🤯 Inconsistent user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Books not downloading properly
- Losing place in audiobooks
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Incompatibility with certain devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to track read/listened books
- Improved audiobook playback controls
- Dark mode option
- Integration with Kindle


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BARD Mobile free?

BARD Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is The Palace Project free?

The Palace Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BARD Mobile or The Palace Project?

The Palace Project is rated higher. BARD Mobile averages 3.9 out of 5 from 203 ratings, while The Palace Project averages 4.6 from 5.5K ratings.

### Do BARD Mobile or The Palace Project have ads?

Neither BARD Mobile nor The Palace Project shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BARD Mobile or The Palace Project?

BARD Mobile ships an update every 3 months, and The Palace Project fortnightly. Most recently, BARD Mobile was updated on October 26, 2026 and The Palace Project on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*